


Small Talk

by Just_here_for_a_laugh



Series: Wonderful Week of Women [4]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Anxiety, Awkwardness, Brunch, Coming Out, Dating, Dax is a good friend, Female Friendship, Fluff, Friendship, Keiko is A Good Friend, Lunch, One Shot, Quark is mentioned but he doesn't actually say anything, Support, awkward Kira Nerys, bisexual Kira Nerys, bisexual jadzia Dax, girls day out, girls supporting girls, made up alien mythology, the planet is a canon planet though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:42:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24808732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_here_for_a_laugh/pseuds/Just_here_for_a_laugh
Summary: Keiko, Dax, and Kira grab lunch one day and talk about everything and nothing, which leads to a question which might mean more than meets the eye
Relationships: Kira Nerys & Jadzia Dax & Keiko O'Brien
Series: Wonderful Week of Women [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1783783
Kudos: 5





	Small Talk

The turbolift doors opened and Keiko looked out at the organized chaos in front of her. Officers and messengers rushed back and forth, sensors and alerts rang out from every corner, and she recognized some of her husband’s team stationed under desks and interfaces. She couldn’t help but smile; no matter the season or crisis, ops was always the same. She looked around until she found her targets and set out across the floor.

  
“Kira! Dax!” she called out, waving as they turned around. The two friends were arguing over how best to bring up the new data gathered from the Argozien sector on the new processing systems that Starfleet had ordered in every Deep Space Station. So far, like with every software update, very few of the crew could properly operate it in these early stages and very many of the crew hated it. Keiko chuckled as she listened to her friends bicker. Rolling her eyes fondly and putting a hand on both of their shoulders she put the argument on hold for the moment.

  
“You two can fight about that later. Right now the three of us are going out to lunch, whether you like it or not. Come on,” she grinned. Kira and Dax thought about protesting for a moment but they both knew it would be futile in the end. They might be high ranking officers with well over three hundred years of experience and a fair share of freedom fighting scars between them, but they knew that when Keiko O’Brien wanted something there was no stopping her from getting it. Sighing, the two turned around and faced their lunch date.

  
“Great,” Keiko smiled, “let’s eat.” The three women walked out of ops and started their trek to the promenade.

  
“So Keiko, how have you been?” Dax asked as they walked.

  
“Oh, fine. You know, classes, parenting, trying to keep up on the latest in the botany world while I’m laid out for a bit. Nothing majorly new. What about you guys?”

  
“Well I, for one, am about to find whoever denied my six requisition orders for new communications interfaces and kick their Starfleet ass,” came Kira’s update. Keiko and Dax laughed.

  
“Well I’d certainly love to be there when that happens,” Keiko said, “I wanted to do the same thing more than a few times back on the Enterprise.”

  
“Me too,” Dax mused, “in more than one body.” The three joked about the frustrations of bureaucracy and the mess of life on the station, always chaotic in one way or another.

  
“If I have to rewire my door one more time because of some Cardassian subroutine locking me in for blowing a fuse,” Dax laughed, “I am going to lose my mind!”

  
“Exactly!” Kira agreed. “It’s like every time I try to plug in my electric blanket I set off a hidden alarm. It’s ridiculous.”

  
“Oh my gosh,” Keiko grinned, “Last week Molly was going through my makeup and when I looked up to check on her all of it was gone. And so of course I got up to see what was going on and when I asked her where she’d put it she grinned at me and took me over to the corner to show me something,” she told them, pausing to regain her composure lest she laugh right through the ending, “she had found a smuggler’s hole in our bedroom floor and put all of my makeup in it.” Dax and Kira cracked up laughing.

  
“Oh my gosh,” Kira managed, “they must have been from the Bajoran underground members stationed here. We used to cut them all the time for IDs and things. Oh that’s hilarious.”

  
“Well, I think Molly has decided it’s officially her toy bin now,” Keiko grinned. Kira smiled.

  
“Good, I’m glad that they’re being put to much happier uses now. How is Molly anyway?”

  
“Did she finish her big art project she was working on when I was over a few days ago?” Dax interjected.

  
“Oh yes,” Keiko laughed, “and she got paint everywhere. I’ve got it hanging over my desk. She said that its herself and Miles and I, along with some fish and a starship and a hobsholvek.”

  
“A what?” Kira asked.

  
“A hobsholvek, it’s a mythical creature from Lactras VII. We’ve been reading her legends from different cultures for bedtime stories like my mom did to me when I was little. A hobsholvek is sort of like a big shaggy moa bird with a horn on its head and paws.”

  
“Oh, like the unicorn that Sisko was telling me about?” Kira asked.

  
“Not exactly but that’s not far off, you're right on the horn and myth part but a unicorn is essentially just a horse with a horn.”

  
“Oh,” Kira said, “then why are they so important?”

  
“Cause they’re magical,” Dax supplied with that excited and somewhat mischievous look in her eyes that she so often got. “They have the power to heal the sick and to live forever, and only the purest of hearts can tame them.” Kira raised an eyebrow and quirked a smile.

  
“And how do you know?”

  
“What? She can read about other cultures but I can’t?” Dax gasped in mock offense. The conversation halted for a moment as the three arrived at Quarks and placed their orders before sitting down at an open table.

“So,” Keiko started, “how was your date the other day Dax?” The woman in question smiled.

  
“It was great! We went skiing in the holosuites and then cuddled under some blankets and drank hot chocolate.”

  
“Aww,” Keiko cooed, “that’s so sweet! So, do you think you’ll see her again?” she asked with a mischievous look. Dax laughed.

  
“Probably, but just as friends this time; she’s great but she just isn’t really my type you know?” Keiko nodded understandingly, but Kira shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable.

  
“Do you like it better?” she asked. “Dating women I mean, over men?” Dax shrugged.

  
“Not really, but I don’t like it any less. I don’t really have a preference, it’s not all that important to me.” Kira nodded, looking as though she were deep in thought.

  
“I just, Ive been thinking that since none of the dates I’ve been going on lately we’re all that enjoyable, that maybe it was time to change up who I’m dating,” she explained, her nerves betraying her ever so slightly. This time it was her two friends’ turns to nod thoughtfully.

  
“Well,” Dax started, still trying to determine the best way to say what she wanted to, “if you aren’t happy with the dates you’ve been going on you should definitely try dating different types of people, but I’m not sure if gender is what’s holding you back here. I mean, if you want to date women because you want to date women that’s great go for it, but trust me, as someone who has not only dated but also been multiple genders, it’s not as big of a personality variable as you might think it is.” Keiko smiled a soft, encouraging smile.

  
“Is it possible there’s more to this than being unhappy with the men you’ve dated?” she asked. Kira sighed.

  
“Alright, maybe,” she started off, more forcefully than was probably strictly necessary, “maybe there’s a little more to it. Maybe I’m thinking about dating women because… I kind of, like the way they act, and look, and just, maybe I just want to date a woman. There.”

  
“Okay,” Dax said with a smile, “then do that.” Keiko laughed.

  
“Liking girls isn’t a bad thing, why didn’t you just tell us that to begin with?” Kira shifted a bit and huffed.

  
“I didnt know how you guys would...react.” The two rolled their eyes goodnaturedly.

  
“Kira, why would I have a problem with you dating women?” Dax smirked.

  
“And why would I be okay with Dax going on dates with women but upset when you do it?” Keiko laughed. Kira sighed.

  
“But that’s different, you know? Cause Dax used to be a guy, so she doesn’t really apply to the same standards.”

  
“Nerys,” Dax said, reaching across the table to clasp her friend’s hands, “it’s not any different. I’m bisexual, and it’s not because I’ve been more than one gender in my lifetime, it’s because it’s who I am. As Dax I’ve always been bisexual, and as Jadziah I was bi even before the joining. Being bi is who I am and my gender identity doesn’t give me some sort of special pass; I don’t need one. There’s nothing wrong with me. And there’s nothing wrong with you. Being gay or bi or pan or anything else isn’t something to be ashamed of, and it’s nothing I’d ever judge you for.”

  
“Me either,” Keiko agreed. “I might not be interested in girls but you can bet I’ll support you and your interest in them.”

  
Kira looked away and in a rare moment of vulnerability, she actually blushed.

  
“Thank you,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. The response came as a chorus of “of course”s and “come to us with anything”s spoken over each other but clear all the same in tone and expression.

  
“Well,” Kira said, taking a quick deep breath and smacking her hands down onto her lap, “why don’t I go see what’s taking Quark so long with our lunch?” Dax and Keiko grinned.

  
“Yes please,” Keiko giggled.

  
“Don’t be too hard on him,” Dax teased.

  
“He can take it,” Kira called back over her shoulder, confident grin back and as bright as ever.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! This is the fourth installment of Wonder Week of Women and I know it's late so sorry about that. I do plan on making this a full seven installment series but the week has passed and I am not doing well with this writing schedule so they will come as they come and I will also write other fics in the meantime, but I will finish it and hopefully soon. I don't own Star Trek or anything associated with it. Happy reading!


End file.
